Get Hip to Garnet: January's Birthstone

Garnet, the birthstone for January, is one of the most versatile gemstones on the market today.

For the curious, here's a little history, a little lore, and a little nudge to help you find some great garnet gems at prices that will make you forget we have four more months left of winter.

Garnets come in a rainbow of colors, from deep red to tangerine orange to lime green to pale pink, as well as purple, gold and brown.

The name garnet most likely was derived from the pomegranate, a fruit whose deep red-purple color resembles some varieties of the stone. Many ancient pieces of garnet jewelry are studded with tiny red gems that look like a cluster of pomegranate seeds.

Garnet is found all over the world, including Africa, Australia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America and Southeast Asia.

Throughout history, garnets have been prized for their rich hues and supposed mystical properties. The stone was a favorite of ancient Egyptian jewelry artisans. Demantoid garnet was used lavishly by the Tsars of Russia.

Travelers carried the gem to protect them against accidents, and garnet was thought to protect its wearer from a range of ailments, ward off evil spirits, spark creativity and dispel anger. The stones are also said to light up the night and protect their owners from nightmares.

Garnet's various types range from 6-7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which means that the stone is susceptible to nicks and cracks caused by impact.

To clean garnet, use warm soapy water and a soft brush. Ultrasonic cleaning is safe for most types of garnet except demantoid. Avoid steam cleaning.

Here is my favorite garnet jewelry deal right now - a cocktail ring-sized center stone set in 14kt gold flanked by two diamond accents. Retail was $679 but it's now listed for only $222.96 on JewelClub. That's a lot of look for that price. Got any birthday girls to buy for this month?

Or click here for more Garnet Gem deals on Jewelry.com.

Jewelry Gifts for your Graduate

Ah graduation - that warm and fuzzy time when high schoolers break curfew for late-night keggers, and college grads realize their Liberal Arts degree gave them lots of debt and no job experience.

Seriously, though, this rite of passage is an event that warrants an important gift to commemorate the occasion. So whether you’ve got an uber-achievor or a ‘scraped by with Cs’-type on your hands, it’s time they got a little bling to remind them that they no longer have to suffer through Chem class or BS their way through another essay question.

Here are my top graduation jewelry gift ideas for the educated woman in your life (insert: me throwing my imaginary graduation cap Mary Tyler Moore-style.)














1. Diamond Studs:

They’re like a good bra. Every woman needs them, and mom is usually the one who will shell out the bucks for 'em.















2. Right Hand Rings

The ultimate expression of independence. She’ll have plenty of time to get a diamond on her left hand (stop hyperventilating). Celebrate her unique self with this empowering gift of diamonds.















3. Birthstone Bling

Jewelry that celebrates the day she was born and the woman she is sure to become. Awwww…















4. Personal Pendant

Is she leaving her favorite pet behind? Maybe she'd like a dog or cat pendant to keep them close to her heart? Or maybe she loves butterflies, frogs, pigs – whatever her passion let her know you know what makes her heart sing.

And I know what makes your heart sing. Wholesale prices. A reminder that you have access to my favorite Friends and Family site, Jewel Club, for your graduation shopping spree.

Use the code: INSIDER and gawk at the prices you won’t get anywhere else.


Happy Shopping, and congrats to all the upcoming graduates out there!